On Tuesday, members of Meira Paibi (Meitei women torchbearers) and local clubs shut down the five districts of Manipur’s Imphal valley, demanding the release of five youths who had been taken into police custody on Friday. Meira Paibi members blocked roads and chanted slogans in support of the youths, who are believed to have been village volunteers guarding their villages from Kuki-Zo militants.
The 48-hour bandh also forced the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur to cancel the Class 10 supplementary exams, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The All Langthabal Kendra United Clubs Coordinating Committee issued a warning that the agitation would be intensified if the youth were not released. Reports say that the police had arrested them on September 16, and when news spread, a group attempted to storm the Porompat police station, resulting in minor injuries to an RAF personnel.
The state government has since formed a one-man panel to investigate the killing of Army soldier Sepoy Serto Thangthang Kom, who was abducted at gunpoint by three unidentified men from his residence in Imphal West and found dead in Imphal East with bullet wounds. The last rites were performed on Tuesday.
